Even though most of my acting projects ended two weeks ago, I've been keeping pleasantly busy. I finished up a six week class with a fantastic casting director here in NYC, and am lined up for two more classes with high end casting directors over the next few weeks. Auditions and classes, of course, keep me pounding the pavement and improving my skill set. The weather has been absolutely fantastic the past few days, and is about 85 degrees this afternoon. If I feel well enough, in a bit I'll head out to grab a few groceries.

I read a while back on my cousin Jenna's blog her story about cleaning and getting rid of a bunch of items she never used. While I'm not sure I could come up with 100 or more things to get rid of at the moment, I have been super cleaning my apartment. I'm talking about hard core, moving furniture, going through everything piece by piece, sweeping then vacuuming, sorting and organizing, and liberally tossing out. Along with getting rid of a bunch of old and useless papers and copious amounts of cat fur, I found some interesting things, chief among them about 15 headshots with old resumes attached (easily removed and replaced), and no less than 15 hair ties. Yes, Stry - your private stash has been discovered. I've started a garbage bag of things to give away - mainly old clothes I never wear and/or are too small. I started in the bedroom and am now working slowly through the living room. I did the four cubbies underneath the main table last night, and am about to start on the bookshelf. It feels so good to purge this place. I generally do a fine job keeping it clean, but to really go in and gut everything - I highly suggest you try it, dear reader. Start with just a single room, and take it apart, get rid of all the excess junk we all seem to amass. It may sound funny, but I feel lighter. I am so sick of having so much stuff. And if I ever have to move again - Lord help me.

I recently joined Pinterest - which is a pretty neat site. I mainly just browse through the pictures and re-pin. I love the fact that my Dream Home board is many pictures of awesome outdoor garden-type places - my dream home apparently is very earthy :) I also have a Good Lookin' Recipes board and there are many delicious looking foods on it I definitely want to try. At an audition today as I was leaving the building I bought several boxes of Tagalongs, so as to be able to make Tagalong cupcakes. I'm hoping I'll have time on Wednesday to do that little experiment, and will definitely share the results. I might start putting up some favorite recipes of mine up here, though no promises they will be as wonderfully put together and showcased as on Jenna's blog. I love to cook - ever since moving to the city, it's definitely become my main hobby, since I can't ride horses here.

So, there it is - just a brief overview of life at the moment. And to celebrate this glorious day, enjoy this beautiful picture :)

I've been wanting to write for the past week but just couldn't think of anything to say. I did some stream of consciousness exercises but nothing sparked my imagination. I remember when I first started writing for QLD that I aimed to write three articles a week for them. Hah. Yeah. That was a bit idealistic. I think it's one reason I have never pursued writing professionally - I can't work under deadlines and pressure - I need room for inspiration to strike. Sometimes it doesn't come as quickly as I would wish. And if it does, it's not always as polished or cohesive as I'm used to.

There seems to have been two common threads that have been woven into my everyday life for the past week - building relationships and creating my own work.

It makes me sick to realize I woke up on a beautiful Easter day and was feeling sullen and irritable and most unthankful for what I have been given. My whole life is a blessed gift and I don't suffer like many people in the world. Yes - we all have our own burdens and stories, but I have it pretty good, and I need to be mindful of that and adjust my attitude accordingly. Sure, I can be upset that my roommate left a sink full of dishes for me to clean up - but if that's all I have to complain about living with another person, I pretty well have it made. I need to be a more gracious and accepting person than I am, and look beyond my petty irritations to cultivate meaningful relationships with people. I mean, maybe this is all in my head, and I'm probably a bit better than I think I am (we are our own worst enemy), but it definitely couldn't hurt being more mindful of the way I treat others - people I know and strangers on the street (Lord, give me patience with those gawking tourists). I am too often stuck in my comfort zone and have trouble talking to new people and making anything more than passing acquaintances. There are so many people in the world I should get to know. Because, this business is all about who you know. And not just for my career, but for me/my life - I would like more people who love and care about me for me, not for what I can do for them - and I would like more people to get to know and grow to care about in their own right.

People in this business are constantly saying that you need to just make your own work. Get together with some friends and put something together. Just Do Something! My friend Mike just up and created his own company and is putting on a show, Mr. Marmalade. Because, why not? As I am constantly reminded, I often over think and over analyze things. I see so much of the picture at once that it can become overwhelming and too daunting a task to undertake. But I was reminded by a dear friend the other day - I can do anything. If I set my mind to something, I can absolutely achieve it. And it may sound like cliche drivel - but it's true. Whatever I am passionate about, I know I will succeed. And I certainly know enough talented, wonderful people with whom I'd love work who would help me out. What's been standing in my way is actually coming up with what I want to do. The first thought I had was to do a production of the musical Little Women - because I absolutely want to play Jo and if no one will cast me in it, why not do it myself? Well, that idea pretty much ended before I had barely thought it. That is one undertaking that would be too much to handle at the moment. Or would it? Probably, yes. But, it got me thinking about other shows I would like to do - smaller in scale, less components, a straight play, perhaps. Still a massive task? Yes. Expensive*? You bet. And enormous amount of work? Oh yeah. Impossible? Not quite. It is still an almost overwhelming thought, but one I could actually see happening. And that's exciting. Well, exciting and scary :P Of course, I'm waiting to see where this audition season will end up, and hopefully great things will happen. But if by God's good will nothing happens this go 'round, the wheels, they are a turnin'.

*So, just throwin' this out there for future ponderance - what are those sites that let you create a page for people to donate money to a cause. I know about kickstarter - but if you don't reach your goal, the money already raised goes back to everyone who donated. I thought there was a site where you could just collect money for a cause and keep however much was donated, even if you didn't reach your ideal goal.